Connect 50: TRAIN, EMPLOY, TRANSFORM
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Transcript of Connect 50: TRAIN, EMPLOY, TRANSFORM
CHOICE TRANSFORMEDWe visit an innovative detox and rehabilitation service in Liverpool and talk to some of the people it supports.
NEW FACESWelcoming Ross Watkins and
Natalie Atkinson to the Board, and
Mike Barrett as chair of the NAC.
TRAIN EMPLOY
TRANSFORM
CONNECT MARCH 2014 | WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
5-7 #-#
ISSN 2046-2921
EVERYTHING TO PLAY FORCan football really help change
the lives of people experiencing
homelessness?
10-12 14-15
HOMELESS LINK EVENTS
UNDER ONE ROOFThis event will draw together everything that homelessness charities need to know under one roof.
Held over two days, the event will take a complete look at
accommodation and support provision for homeless people
- and the challenge of sustaining effective provision in a
challenging environment.
The event will bring together homelessness services, industry
experts and suppliers to share innovative approaches, policy
updates, and insights into the future of homelessness.
www.homeless.org.uk/events/under-one-roof
Attending this event means you will have the opportunity to:• Build new skills through our masterclass series
• Engage in debates on a range of hard hitting
subjects that are facing the sector
• Influence future thinking on housing policy
and homelessness provision.
Book your place and customise the event to suit
your individual needs.
BOOKINGSFind out more and book your place:
020 7840 4461www.homeless.org.uk/events/under-one-roof
SHOWCASING THE EXPERTISE OF THE SECTOR
UNDER ONE ROOF8 & 9 July 2014 Hinckley Island Hotel, MidlandsANNUAL HOUSING AND SUPPORT CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2014
HOMELESS.ORG.UK/EVENTS | @HOMELESSLINK | 020 7840 4461
CONNECT | MARCH 2014
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 3
WELCOME
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 3
IN CONNECT
www.homeless.org.uk/blog
STORY TO SHARE? We’re always looking for stories about the work you do and the people you work with. Get in
touch if you have something to share with readers of CONNECT magazine and blogs - [email protected]
SUBSCRIPTIONS: to subscribe or take out additional subscriptions, please email [email protected]
EDITORS: Serena Cowdy / Martin Reed COVER IMAGE: © Joana Freitas, courtesy of the Homeless FA
4 UPFRONT Regular column from CEO RIck Henderson.
5 NAC SPOTLIGHT Introducing the new NAC chair, Mike Barrett.
6 MEET THE NEW HOMELESS LINK TRUSTEES Welcome to our new trustees, Natalie Atkinson
and Ross Watkins.
8 WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO HELP VULNERABLE PEOPLE MANAGE MONEY? Research has shown that just handling and
thinking about money can actually reduce
mental and physical stress, but being reminded
of our recent spending can increase levels of
both mental and physical distress.
10 TRANSFORMING CHOICE We visited an innovative detox and
rehabilitation service in Liverpool, following its
work with some of the city’s most marginalised,
alcohol dependent citizens.
13 SUPPORTING ADULTS INTO LEARNING & WORK The Really Useful Book of Learning and Earning
is a free resource for adults using homelessness
services.
14 EVERYTHING TO PLAY FOR Homeless FA uses football to give people the
opportunity to develop their skills and abilities,
gain self-respect and confidence, improve their
health, and ultimately transform their life.
16 WHAT OUR MEMBERS SAY The results of our 2014 Members Survey.
18 EAST EUROPEAN PEER NAVIGATOR PROJECT Lift teams up with the East European Advice
Centre (EEAC) to develop a project for East
European migrants in London.
20 PASSIONATE ABOUT FOOD, PASSIONATE ABOUT PEOPLE The Feed, a social enterprise project from
Norwich LEAP, will provide outside catering to
businesses and local charities, a festival pop-
up and a café in the local community.
22 A TWO WAY STREET? For service users who are ready, a work
placement can be life-transforming. Lindsay
Stronge looks at projects that have really
made this work.
24 PAY IT FORWARD Find out more about our Pay it Forward
campaign - what’s happening, who we’re
working with and how we’ve been able to
support them.
26 A GUIDE TO LOCAL INFLUENCING When it comes to campaigning on
homelessness, local influencing activity can
make all the difference.
27 MAKING SOCIAL IMPACT MEASUREMENT WORK The rise of ‘payment by results’ and social
investment in the third sector could push
core beneficiaries to the margins of the
impact measurement process. However,
homelessness organisations have a solution.
33 WORKING TOGETHER: DWP NETWORKING EVENT It has become an increasing challenge for
homelessness organisations and their clients
to navigate through benefits systems.
34 MANAGING PEOPLE Regular column from Helen Giles of
Broadway’s Real People.
UPFRONT CONNECT | MARCH 2014
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UPFRONT
Welcome to this edition of Connect magazine - in which we focus on the training and employment issues facing people with experience of homelessness.
I have worked pretty much every day since I left school
at 16. Luckily, I’ve enjoyed most of the jobs I had, and
my career has certainly been varied. I’ve been a
hairdresser, a postman, a painter and decorator and a
nursing assistant!
My main motivation was to work my way out of poverty
- but at least that was a possibility for me. I worry that
today’s young people face an employment market that
has fewer opportunities and frequent obstacles. So how
can we, as a sector, support our service users to thrive
and grow in the current climate?
Clearly it’s crucial to get things right at bedrock level.
Clients who struggle with basic literacy and numeracy
will always be amongst the most vulnerable people in
our society, and will find it particularly difficult to engage
with initiatives like the Work Programme.
We’re pleased to have numeracy and learning specialist
Beth Kelly as a contributor, and her article on financial
capability highlights some easy-to-use tools that should
make it easier for service users to manage their money.
Work-related training is also key - and we highlight some
fantastic training initiatives run by organisations within
the homelessness sector. For example, you can find
out about The Feed, a new project from Norwich LEAP
that provides training for former clients who are keen to
work in the catering industry. And Everything to Play For
is focused how the Homeless Football Association uses
sport to develop employment skills.
Finally, we highlight some private sector companies
who really are doing their bit. In A Two Way Street?, we
investigate how a range of businesses, large and small,
have developed valuable work placement schemes for
people who have experienced homelessness.
I am also pleased to introduce readers to Homeless
Link’s two new ‘expert by experience’ Trustees, Natalie
Atkinson and Ross Watkins, who joined the Board in
November 2013 and who bring a wealth of knowledge
to the organisation. We are also saying a big hello to
Mike Barrett, the new Chair of our National Advisory
Council (and a fond farewell to both Jon Cox and David
Ford, previous Chairs of our Advisory Panels).
Other features in this issue include an analysis of the
latest membership survey results - what you told us about
what you want from Homeless Link.
Please read, share and get in touch with your news,
views and comments. Have a great spring!
Rick Henderson - Chief Executive, Homeless Link
NACCONNECT | MARCH 2014
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NAC SPOTLIGHTThe National Advisory Council is proud to welcome a new Chair - Mike Barrett. As Chief Executive of Porchlight, and having worked in the homelessness sector for over 23 years, Mike brings a huge amount of experience to the position. Here, we wanted to give him the chance to introduce himself! Visit homeless.org.uk/nac
MY BACKGROUNDI’ve been working in the homeless
sector for over 23 years. Before that
I worked in the probation service in
London, and I also spent time with
two London local authorities, working
in both estates management and
homeless persons units.
WHAT MOTIVATES MEI suppose the main driving force for me is the
continuing and growing divide in relation to lack of
opportunity and fair access to good quality, secure
housing in our communities that leads so many people
into homelessness.
I’m also driven to try to change things when I see the
fear and pain of those suffering at the hands of a
society that seems to care more about wealth and
celebrity than about people suffering the indignity of
being poor - or of coming from families no longer able
to support themselves.
This all started when I was about ten years old - when I
saw the first airing of television play Cathy Come Home.
I remember looking over at my parents, seeing tears in
their eyes and realising that homelessness and poverty
were major problems.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT?I feel that the homeless sector is an environment
where equality and innovation in the midst of chaos
still holds true. We are, I feel, on a par with any group
of entrepreneurs because we are constantly facing
challenges that require imagination, skill and courage
to overcome.
However, I feel we as a sector need to be willing to
cooperate and collaborate on many more issues. In
light of the funding environment, we also need honesty
in debates about duplication and costs. By working
more closely together we can achieve great things; but
if our organisations fiercely hold on to independence
and territory, we will divided by both policy and
decision makers.
IN MY NEW ROLE WITH THE NAC…I’m really looking forward to working with a
knowledgeable and committed team of people on the
NAC and at Homeless Link. I feel we can help influence
the debate and constructively challenge decisions that
endanger our service users and the services set up to
help them.
I also want to build on the fantastic work that Jon Cox
was responsible for and hopefully chair meetings with
as much skill as Jon. I aim to bring experience of both
front line work and as a senior manager in the sector.
Most importantly, I want to help create a formidable
team of people who can focus on the job at hand and
really help Homeless Link’s board deal with the massive
challenges ahead.
WHAT ARE THOSE CHALLENGES?They are many and varied. The dismantling of the
‘supporting people’ framework - and indeed of local
authorities themselves - are among them. There is also
a threat from ideologically driven policies that have at
their heart sensible ideas, but are in reality making many
vulnerable people’s lives a total misery.
One example of this is the application of sanctions
to Housing Benefit, which will have major negative
implications for people who have moved through
supported housing into the private rented sector.
I believe this change will increase the number of
‘revolving door’ cases, and further add to the strain on
dwindling services.
Finally, one of the major challenges facing our sector
is how to understand, be part of and influence the
interface between health, housing and social care.
Mike Barrett, Porchlight - NAC Chair
CONNECT | MARCH 2014
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FEATURES
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PEOPLE
NATALIE ATKINSON
Natalie Atkinson and Ross Watkins became Homeless Link trustees last November, bringing personal experience of homelessness to our Board for the first time. We talked to them about life, their passion for their work and how they’d like to see the homelessness sector change for the better.
WHAT WAS YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE OF HOMELESSNESS - AND HOW HAVE YOU GOT FROM THERE TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?After leaving residential care
on my sixteenth birthday I
experienced homelessness,
sofa surfing and staying
wherever I could. I was living
a chaotic lifestyle, so I would constantly be moving
accommodation (from flats and bed and breakfast
accommodation to friends’ houses and shared
properties) or being evicted. I was never suitable for
supported housing schemes due to my offending history,
and I always felt that I was never given a chance to
‘prove myself’ and be accommodated in this way.
I’m currently living in private student accommodation,
as I’m in my last year of university. The consistent support
I’ve received from important people in my life has been
a big factor in me getting to where I am now. Those
people include my youth offending team worker and
various third sector support workers - as well as my
friends. I also believe I’ve progressed because I was so
determined to succeed, and to be in a position to help
others in similar situations.
WHAT REALLY DRIVES YOU TO WORK IN THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR?Having experienced homelessness and an unsettled
way of life first-hand, I feel I’m able to understand and
relate to individuals who are in the position I was once
in. I enjoy working in the supported housing and feel
passionate about offering help, guidance and advice.
I hope I’m in a position to empower individuals to go on
and live an independent and happy life. Quite simply,
I believe that everyone deserves to have somewhere
warm and dry to live; a place that they can call home.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR CURRENTLY DOES WELL?I feel that the homelessness sector is proactive even in
current conditions, when funding is being cut, benefit
changes are occurring and a lot of uncertainty exists.
Recent campaigns to end rough sleeping, and multi-
agency work with those with multiple and complex
needs, are both real positives.
IN YOUR VIEW, WHAT’S THE GREATEST CHALLENGE FACING HOMELESSNESS SERVICES TODAY?The current economic climate is extremely testing for the
homelessness sector: Funding cuts are being made, and
services are being reduced as a result.
The introduction of the ‘bedroom tax’ has had a
negative effect on many individuals who are claiming
housing benefits. It’s also having a knock-on effect on
individuals in supported accommodation who are trying
to move to independent living, as there a very few one
bedroom properties.
Universal Credit will also pose a new challenge when it
is rolled out, as I believe more people will struggle with
budgeting and paying accommodation costs.
FINALLY, WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD MOST IMPROVE THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR?I would make supported housing more accessible for
people with criminal backgrounds, rent arrears and
histories of living chaotic lifestyles. I would also get rid of
the ‘bedroom tax’!
Look out for Natalie in BBC3’s upcoming Crime &
Punishment season. In ‘Banged Up And Left To Fail?’
- due to be broadcast on Monday 7 April - Natalie
examines the impact prison has on young adult
offenders, and the balance between punishment and
rehabilitation.
MEET THE NEW HOMELESS LINK TRUSTEES
nat89atk
CONNECT | MARCH 2014
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PEOPLE
CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?I had a fairly normal childhood,
but in my teens my life became
chaotic, culminating in me
serving a prison term in my
late teens. I worked in the
construction industry as a
bricklayer and over time started
a small building business.
There was never much stability in my life and I was
under huge amounts of pressure, balancing the books,
paying people. I ended up going through, what I now
know to be, a mental breakdown and I walked out on
everything. My home, my business. I went to live on the
streets with nothing but a bag of clothes. I was free of
those pressures and bizarrely I enjoyed sleeping rough,
but that wasn’t going to last. I got myself a cheap set of
tools and started working on building sites, but that was
impossible to sustain while sleeping rough. It was an Off
the Streets and Into Work building project up in Cumbria
that enabled me to move on.
Later, when I was working as a bricklayer in Cambridge,
I started volunteering at Jimmy’s Nightshelter, and
went full time in outreach with them soon after. I
absolutely loved it. It was that whole thing of wanting
to do something more. I was going out, finding
people, helping them into the best and most suitable
accommodation that I could. Today, I’m a Deputy
Community Leader at Emmaus in Lambeth.
HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN YOUR WORK?One conversation has stuck with me since I came off the
streets. It was with my outreach worker. His options for
me were basically to beg or work on the black market.
Looking back maybe this was half tongue in cheek, but
at the time it was probably one of the lowest moments
in my life. I wanted to change, I wanted to move on, but
the one person who should have been able to help me
couldn’t do anything. I understand a lot of what people
sleeping rough are going through. I know how important
it is to be able to ask someone for support and for them
to give you an honest, realistic response. It’s the only
way to help someone get what they want. People have
to make their own decisions, and you need to be able
to give them the information to allow them to do that.
You have to be there to support them, whether their
decisions are right or wrong. They need to know that if
they screw up, that you’re still there to support them, that
you aren’t going to stand behind them and mock them.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE WAY THE SECTOR HAS CHANGED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS?When the original Comprehensive Spending Review
came out, I think the sector was devastated. So many
good workers were lost – so much local experience that
you just can’t replace. While services were restructured,
I think a lot of service users bore the brunt of it. Many lost
the professionals they’d built up relationships with and
they had to start over, building trust with new workers.
But many services - outreach teams in particular - have
done really well to keep changing and to manage with
the budgets that they’ve got.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE AS A HOMELESS LINK TRUSTEE?With all the changes that have gone on in frontline
homelessness services, so much of the good stuff has
come as a result of service user input. I think the views of
service users are absolutely integral to all future changes
to the homelessness sector. Homeless Link is one of the
major players in saying what changes need to happen.
Service users need to lead that. I want to go out, talk to
people, find out what they want, find out what’s working
and what isn’t.
HOW WOULD YOU TRANSFORM THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR FOR THE BETTER?I would reintroduce mental health services with decent
budgets. Mental health is one of the primary reasons
people continue with drug and alcohol use. We need to
create a system where people are properly supported
and not chucked onto the streets on drugs. It’s vital that
we start to rebuild those services.
MEET THE NEW HOMELESS LINK TRUSTEESROSS WATKINS rosswat1
CONNECT | MARCH 2014
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FEATURES
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Most of us find dealing with money at best a chore and at worst positively scary. Feelings about money are often mixed. Research has shown that just handling and thinking about money can actually reduce mental and physical stress and make us feel more confident about ourselves. However, being reminded of our recent spending can increase levels of both mental and physical distress.
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO HELP VULNERABLE PEOPLE MANAGE MONEY?
FEELINGS ABOUT MONEYThe BBC Lab UK's Big Money Test in 2013 showed that
there is far more to managing your money than financial
know-how. It concluded that while financial knowledge
is important, our emotions play a big part in how well
we manage our money. Money is linked to how we feel
about power, security, love and freedom; and the test
identified impulse buying as being a real challenge to
financial security. Financial skills also involve a certain
level of maths ability, and this can just add to feelings
of uncertainty about teaching this subject - never mind
learning about it! This is undoubtedly why many people
steer clear of working in this area.
THE BEST TIME TO ENGAGE PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING THEIR FINANCIAL SKILLSSo, we know that many support workers, teachers and
trainers - as well as the participants on financial literacy
programmes - have mixed feelings about money and
finances. Indeed, many of us do not want to think about
money until something significant happens in our lives.
Shaun Mundy, Senior Vice President of the Financial
Literacy Group, researched the topic and found that
people are most interested in developing financial
capability skills only when something changes in their
lives. For example: When starting or losing a job, starting
a course at college, dealing with a debt or becoming a
parent.
These can be described as ‘significant moments’. One
such significant moment in many peoples’ lives is the
proposed introduction of Universal Credit. Eventually,
this will change the way benefits are paid, presenting at
least two challenges: First, people will be paid monthly
instead of weekly; and second, they will be paid through
a bank account rather than in cash through the Post
Office. In response to this significant moment, The
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has worked with Homeless
Link and the National Institute of Adult Continuing
Education (NIACE) to develop a Talking about Money
tool. As the name suggests, this tool is designed to
encourage advisers and their clients to start talking more
openly about money. It asks a series of questions and
invites the client to rate their own levels of confidence
and competence. This enables clients to address these
challenges and empowers them to make more informed
choices and decisions in relation to their circumstances.
HOW CAN WE HELP ADULTS WITH SERIOUS NUMERACY ISSUES TO MANAGE MONEY? There is obviously no quick fix for this, but at Learning
Unlimited we have developed a range of online
resources that clients and support workers can use with
their clients. The online activities, games and videos are
aimed at people who may not have strong numeracy
skills, but who want to develop their financial skills.
The resources at www.learningmathsonline.ac.uk
support adults to develop calculating skills around
‘money coming in’ and ‘money going out’. One
example is showing people how to budget over the
course of a month, rather than for just a week or two.
The activity requires people to plan for a month by
allocating money to four ‘pots’: Rent, bills, groceries and
travel. There is also a 'rainy day' pot for what is left over.
There are hints and tips, such as how to plan expenditure
for a month over five weeks, rather than four (to make
sure you do not run out of money - as most months
have more than four weeks in them!). There is also a
BY BETH KELLY
FEATURES CONNECT | MARCH 2014
check function that allows for variable amounts to be
put into the 'groceries/travel' and 'rainy day' pots, but
always requires the rent to be paid. To add a sense
of authenticity to this activity, we filmed 'vox pops' of
people from Homeless link and the CAB giving tips on
budgeting. The ‘Everyday Maths’ section of the site also
has lots of exercises about keeping appointments and
working out time - as well as looking at food labels. The
resources do not solve all financial problems, but do give
people opportunities to practise some skills in relation to
employment and benefits.
NEW INITIATIVES IN THIS SECTORAs part of a new initiative funded by The Insolvency
Service (BIS), we are supporting organisations working
with vulnerable people to develop some financial
literacy programmes linked to the new unit qualifications.
However, some of the project’s early findings indicate
that, unsurprisingly, it is not easy to develop new
programmes with centres already running on limited
resources. Many simply don’t have staff with the requisite
skills to support financial capability. In addition to this,
Universal Credit - a main motivator for initiating this pilot -
has had its timetable for introduction changed, creating
uncertainty around the need for skills development.
Despite these challenges, it is worth making the effort.
The recent Quids In study (undertaken by the CAB
and Santander) highlighted a change in behaviour
and positive impact on people in social housing who
experienced some financial skills training.
At this Universal Credit ‘significant moment’, there is
considerable interest in developing people’s financial
skills - and there are some very good tools out there to
help with the learning needed. However, there will need
to be enough investment to upskill the people involved,
in order to make sure we provide the claimants and
support workers with the skills they require to successfully
access the new benefits.
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LEARNING MATHS ONLINEVisit the Maths4Us website to find out more about the resources available.
www.learningmathsonline.ac.uk/wp
CONNECT | MARCH 2014FEATURES
TRANSFORMING CHOICEWe visited this innovative detox and rehabilitation service in Liverpool, following its work with some of the city’s most excluded, alcohol dependent people.
“They had to carry me up the steps when I got here, I
was that sick. But this place has changed everything for
me. Everything. It’s like a family that can turn your life
around. I’ve got hope. I’ve got dignity. I’ve got a place
to go live in when I come out of here. There’s no other
place has given me a chance like that.”
The speaker is Tommy. He’s sitting on a large leather sofa
in the lounge area of the old Solna Hotel in Liverpool,
now repurposed as Transforming Choice, a new breed
of rehabilitation service for some of the city’s most
excluded people. Tommy’s words are echoed by many
of the other residents in the room. The words ‘family’
and ‘dignity’ are repeated by many. There are nods
of agreement whenever someone mentions how the
service has helped them achieve what others could not.
THE APPROACHTransforming Choice launched last July to fill a hole
in alcohol and homelessness provision in the city. The
people it works with are long term physically dependent
on alcohol, usually homeless with little or no community
support, and most have attempted detoxes elsewhere.
Unlike many other services in the area, it focuses on
more than just the addiction. During an intensive 12
week residential, residents start with two weeks of
alcohol withdrawal detox. This is followed by a further
two weeks of self-care and service engagement, which
focuses on personal health through appointments with
GPs, dentists and opticians.
Individuals write their own recovery plan and, over
the 12 weeks, they have access to peer support,
a counsellor and an in house psychologist. They’re
supported to start courses and to rebuild lost ties with
family. Suitable accommodation is secured for them
prior to their departure – with crucial overnight stays
in their new homes scheduled during the final weeks.
This is all backed up by six months of aftercare support.
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The service is brought together in a coordinated mix of
professional and clinical support, peer mentoring and
‘unconditional positive regard’.
Last July, the service opened its doors to the first
residents. Seven graduated in September at an event
attended by Liverpool’s Mayor. Five have maintained
their own accommodation. The second cohort will
graduate from the programme at the end of March.
THE PEOPLESome of the residents take time to tell me in person
about the impact their stay in the old hotel has had to
date. John tells me: “When they said they were going to
help me, well I just thought I’d heard all that shit before.
People promise things. You get that over and over. It’s
been tough and I’ve tried to walk out of here about
six times, but they’ve always talked me down. And I’m
glad they have, because I’m getting my self-respect
back, they’ve sorted me a place to go live in. And I
really want to come back and do my peer training, give
other people some of the help I’ve had here myself. It’s
marvellous, it really is. This place is the best thing that’s
ever happened to me.”
Carl says: “I’ve been on a lot of detoxes and residentials,
and it’s all great while you’re on them, when you’re
in that bubble, but then you come out and you’re still
homeless, you’re back on the street, and whatever good
could have come of them is lost. It’s the opposite here.
You don’t leave until you have somewhere to go.”
OUTCOMES THAT MATTERI ask Carol Hamlett, director of Transforming Choice,
about the challenges in working with this group of
people. “It’s important to remember that most of the
people we work with have been using substances for
decades – some consuming in excess of 700 units a
week,” she tells me. “To be an authentic service, we
have to be realistic and not frightened of working with
WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARTIN REED
CONNECT | MARCH 2014 FEATURES
Nine months ago Mark was sleeping rough in Sefton Park, just a few hundred metres from where he now works as a peer mentor.
people who really are very ill.” She stresses the high risk
tolerance of the service and willingness to work with
people who have often been risk assessed out of other
services because of fear of not reaching outcomes.
Of the 12 people who started in the current group,
one had a serious relapse and had to leave, another
suffered a heart attack while visiting his partner and,
tragically, a third died at the beginning of March.
But Carol doesn’t accept that success with this group of
people can be measured by numbers based outcomes
alone. “Yes, we did lose someone but the outcome
was that this individual spent his last 8 weeks safe,
comfortable, physically and emotionally nourished, and
he smiled a lot. That for us is a brilliant outcome.”
While three people won’t graduate at the end of March,
Carol is confident that the remaining nine will. Just three
months after entering the service, nine of the most
marginalised people in Liverpool’s homelessness system
will move into long term accommodation, with ongoing
support from Transforming Choice as they start to move
on with their lives.
MEET MARKSome of the peer support for the current group is
provided by Mark who, until July last year, was sleeping
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CONNECT | MARCH 2014
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rough and drinking in Sefton Park, just a few hundred
metres from the hotel. Today, he’s settled in a two
bedroom flat, he’s earned qualifications that will help
him support others in his position, he’s about to take up
beekeeping, and a few days ago he was offered a job
with Open University.
He takes me on a tour of the park, and explains how he
first found out about Transforming Choice: “I was sat just
over there, on a bench with all the drinkers – and Donna,
one of the managers here, made a beeline for me
and said you’re on my list.” He describes the two week
detox as “a killer” but explains how he quickly found a
new perspective on life: “It was like an adrenaline rush,
still thinking about the drink, but not wanting it and not
needing it – and I’d just get involved in everything. This
place, it’s changed my life. Even the doctors told me,
another week out there and I’d have been dead.”
As for what works at Transforming Choice but not
elsewhere, Mark believes it’s a combination of things.
“It’s the way you’re reduced off alcohol, it’s the support
you get throughout, it’s the friendliness. It’s more like a
family than a service. It’s the fact you’re surrounded by
people who know exactly what you’re going through.”
WHO FUNDS TRANSFORMATION?In spite of its early successes, Carol has encountered a
reluctance from commissioners to commit long term to
the service. There is no guarantee of funding for a third
group of residents to benefit from its support.
Perhaps the £9,696 price tag for each person’s 12 week
stay plus 6 months aftercare is a tough figure to justify for
innovation in today’s climate. But given that the target
client group is made up of frequent fliers with expensive
and reactive services – hospitals, police, prison and
more – it’s a prime example of how to do nothing can
prove more expensive.
“I want to give other people some of the help I’ve had here myself” - John
Take Lizzy, for example, the only female among the
current residents. She came to Transforming Choice
straight after five weeks of palliative care in hospital,
where medical staff were convinced she was unlikely
to recover. Her five week stay in hospital will have cost
considerably more than the support she’s now getting
from Carol and the team.
IN REFLECTIONBefore I leave, Carol takes me round the old hotel, keen
to impress on me the importance of the environment. It
feels markedly different to most other services. It’s open
and calm; there’s a sense of trust throughout, with no
security glass protected reception desk to greet you
as you enter. There’s poignancy in the emptied bars in
public rooms throughout the building.
Carol knocks on a few doors to see if anyone is around
to show me their bedroom. The first to answer is Tommy,
who spoke earlier in the lounge. “What do you think?”
he asks as he opens the door. He’s trying on a new suit,
craning forward into the wardrobe mirror to straighten his
tie. “Does it go?” he asks. “It’s for my graduation.”
In this moment, less than two months after Tommy was
carried up the steps of the hotel, there’s no hint of his
former life. This isn’t Tommy the street drinker, Tommy
the rough sleeper. For a moment, he could be any
man in any hotel, suiting up for a business meeting or
a wedding. What strikes me is his confidence in how
much has changed for him in only a few weeks, and his
positivity about what that means for the future.
TRANSFORMING CHOICEFind out more about the service on their website:
transformingchoice.org.uk
THE REALLY USEFUL BOOK OF LEARNING AND EARNINGDownload a PDF version here:
http://shop.niace.org.uk/ ruble-homelessness.html
SUPPORTING ADULTS INTO LEARNING & WORKThe Really Useful Book of Learning and Earning (RUBLE) - available from March - is a free resource for adults using homelessness services to help them think about their learning and development, plan ahead and develop strategies for achieving their goals.
The book was written
by the National Institute
of Adult Continuing
Education (NIACE) with
support from Homeless
Link and funding from
the Department for
Business Innovation
& Skills. The RUBLE
format has already
proved popular and
effective with people
experiencing mental
health difficulties and
young adult carers.
The book contains information, advice and activities
to support people to take positive steps forward in their
lives. It includes:
• Activities to encourage people to think positively and
to reflect on the skills they have and the skills they
would like to develop
• Information about different types of learning and the
benefits of learning, with examples of the positive
difference that learning has made to people who
have been homeless
• Hints and tips about applying for jobs, creating a CV,
and going to interviews
• Details about self-employment and volunteering, and
links to further information and sources of support
• Advice and support on action planning and setting
short, medium and long-term goals
• Diary pages to help people stay organised and in
control
• Ideas to encourage positive health and well-being,
and to support people to manage their money
• Links to useful websites and helplines.
Copies of the A5 spiral-bound book are being sent
to a number of Homeless Link member organisations,
and participants at the Learning for Everyone national
conference on 20th March will each receive a copy. A
PDF version will also be available to download at http://
shop.niace.org/ruble-homelessness.html
There are lots of ways you can help clients to get the
most out of the RUBLE. Here are just a few examples - you
could:
• Use the activities as a basis for discussion with clients
• Offer ideas on what they might write - for example,
about the skills they already have
• Provide information to clients on local learning and
volunteering opportunities, or encourage them to
carry out their own research
• Help clients to set realistic goals and check on their
progress towards these goals
• Support clients to identify any potential barriers to
their goals and explore how they may overcome
them
• Access the websites of other organisations for
additional information.
We really hope you will find the RUBLE useful in your
work with clients. Please send us your feedback, and
encourage your clients to tell us what they think of it too.
Email: [email protected]
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EVERYTHING TO PLAY FORThe Homeless Football Association (FA) believes that people experiencing homelessness have the potential to change their lives positively, and that football can facilitate this transformation. We use football to give people the opportunity to develop their skills and abilities, gain self-respect and confidence, improve their health, and ultimately transform their life.
The transformation often begins with confidence. Since
being established in 2012, the Homeless FA has seen over
250 qualifications achieved. More importantly to our
players, and to us, 100% of participants have reported
increased confidence levels. Rosie acknowledges that
she had no confidence in herself when she joined our
2012 Training Centre programme. She was ashamed of
her self-harm scars and, despite the hot weather, wore
a long-sleeved top under her training kit. Rosie reflects:
“So much of my life has been a challenge and if I was
honest it’s been difficult to remain positive. The Arsenal
Training Centre really helped me. It was clear from the
start that the Homeless FA and everyone that works for
them didn’t judge me, but genuinely believed in me,
and this made me feel worthwhile for the first time in a
long time and much, much more confident. The Training
Centre was a reason to get up and leave the hostel and
it gave me something that nothing else ever has, belief
in myself. It just made me happy.”
Our Training Centres are five-day programmes of activity
delivered in partnership with professional football clubs.
In 2014, they will involve up to 300 players nationally.
We want the Training Centre to be a positive learning
experience in an aspirational environment. In Rosie’s
case her increasing confidence was apparent. By week
four she was wearing short sleeves to the training session.
By week five she was leading training sessions. Five
weeks seems like a short period of time, but we see it as
a catalyst. It accelerates the momentum being built by
the services that support our players on a daily basis.
Players completing the Training Centre can achieve their
Level 1 Sports Leaders Award. The sense of achievement
and satisfaction felt by players earning this award is key
to providing a positive experience of what learning can
be. The Sports Leaders Award is a great way to develop a person’s confidence in themselves and also in a group. As one of our players in 2013, Stacey, comments, “The football side of things is really fun but it was more important to interact with people in a positive way.”
Creating a positive experience, especially in the classroom, is critical to encouraging players to continue into further education and training. We gather feedback through surveys and interviews - and one survey response was: “The Training Centre gave me a sense of belonging - I looked forward to seeing everyone every week. When it finished I wanted that feeling again so I signed up to an IT course! Now I’m learning to design web pages.”
A love of football can help so many individuals into different pathways by identifying different talents and passions. Some 63% of players went on to do further courses and qualifications after the Training Centre.
While the football clubs’ members of staff do a brilliant job of encouraging and supporting players, the most inspiring encouragement comes from volunteers like
A former player and volunteer with the Homeless FA, Rosie is the Peer Mentor Coordinator for 2014 and will help train and support 25 volunteers nationally. | Photograph © Lars Wehmann, courtesy of the Homeless FA
BY LINDSEY HORSFIELD HEAD OF RESEARCH, THE HOMELESS FA
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Rosie who have been players themselves. At the Arsenal
Training Centre in 2013, Rosie provided support to the 30
players as a Peer Mentor. She was subsequently given
the role of Team England Peer Mentor at the Homeless
World Cup in Poznań, Poland.
Alongside Rosie, all of the Team England coaching staff
had experience of homelessness and had taken part in
Homeless FA programmes. Players who had volunteered
at the Training Centres were also able to be part of
the staff teams at international activities. We try to be
as flexible as possible, but with three-quarters of our
volunteers gaining full-time employment in 2013, they
sometimes missed out on activities with us.
Some found this transition more challenging than others.
Billy, a player in 2012 and volunteer in 2013, secured a
part-time contract and moved into a permanent contract
partway through the Training Centre programme.
Although pleased to be working, he found he had to
adapt his expectations. He explains: “I’ve always loved
football. That’s what I thought my career would be in.
It still can be, but for now I need to go to work and pay
rent. I’ve got my own place and I’m getting stuff sorted
out. I just wish I could do more stuff with you [Homeless
FA]. Sometimes I struggle a bit with work because, doing
maintenance, it’s not what I am passionate about.”
Sometimes a football programme can lead someone to
a career - even if it isn’t in football. Having seen Rosie’s
abilities and the valuable role she held in supporting the
players in 2013, she was appointed the Homeless FA’s
Peer Mentor Coordinator. She now oversees the Peer
Mentoring programme and in 2014 will be managing
25 volunteers and ensuring they are all suitably trained
and supported. “This whole experience has been life-
changing” Rosie says. “I could never have imagined 18 months ago that today I would be not only in a job I enjoy but training for a career.”
Many of the players applying to the Homeless FA Training Centres do so for the football. By providing learning and volunteering opportunities, we hope to help them recognise other passions and skills that they may have. As James, who played in the 2011 Homeless World Cup and has been a volunteer for two years with the Homeless FA, explains, “It isn’t winning a trophy. The expectations of the players should really be to gain as much as they can and come back a stronger you, a stronger person. Come back and tackle the obstacles that stand in your way in general life.”
Homeless FA Training Centres take place nationally, in partnership with ten professional football clubs, including Sunderland AFC. | Photograph © Joana
Freitas, courtesy of the Homeless FA
A former player, James is the Homeless FA’s Head Coach and studying sport sciences at university. | Photograph © Lars Wehmann, courtesy of the Homeless FA
FIND OUT MOREThe Homeless FA Community is open to any project or organisation that wants to use football as a means of improving the lives of people experiencing homelessness in England.
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18 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
YOUR PRIORITIES
FOR 2014EACH YEAR WE ASK YOU ABOUT
YOUR KEY CONCERNS AND MAKE SURE WE’RE PROVIDING
THE BEST SERVICE POSSIBLE. WHAT YOU TOLD US WILL HELP
SHAPE OUR WORK IN THE YEAR TO COME.
IMPROVING CLIENTS’ PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
87%
PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS (e.g. better housing options and advice)
86%
INCREASING THE SUPPLY AND QUALITY OF ACCOMMOD-ATION (e.g. move on accommod-ation)
79%
MANAGING THE IMPACT OF WELFARE REFORM (e.g. introduction of Universal Credit)
77%
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4/10RATED ‘INFORMATION,
RESEARCH AND TRAINING’ AS THE
MEMBER BENEFIT YOU MOST VALUE
BEST BENEFIT
8/10SAID YOU
WERE SATISFIED OR VERY SATISFIED WITH
MEMBERSHIP
SATISFACTION
7/10SAID YOUR
MEMBERSHIP REPRESENTED VALUE
FOR MONEY
VALUE FOR MONEY
9/10SAID WE
REPRESENT THE SECTOR WELL
REPRESENTATION
9/10SAID YOU WOULD
RECOMMEND US
RECOMMENDATION
HOW ARE WE DOING?
BETTER EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT AND TRAINING FOR CLIENTS
70%
DEVELOPING STAFF SKILLS
70%
ADOPTING NEW APPROACHES TO TACKLE HOMELESSNESS (e.g. Housing First)
75%
SERVICE FUNDING (e.g. mitigating cuts or securing new sources)
72%
REDUCING CLIENT RE-OFFENDING
62%
GIVING CLIENTS MORE CHOICE AND CONTROL OVER CARE (e.g. personalisation)
60%So
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e: A
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ua
l Su
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y o
f Me
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ers
, Ho
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Lin
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However, the kind of service that was needed was only
beginning to become apparent. Rough sleepers from
East European migrant communities just didn’t have the
same profile as other rough sleepers in the UK.
Lorraine Richardson is Day Services Manager at The
Passage, which provides shelter and support services
to homeless people and holds specialist sessions for
new arrivals from Bulgaria and Romania (A2 countries).
Lorraine recalled seeing a spike in service users from
East European backgrounds, and the realisation she
had when many of them explained why they’d become
homeless. She explains: “We couldn’t help them. We’re
set up for people who have support needs, but the East
Europeans who were rough sleeping for the most part
don’t have those support needs.”
Indeed, the 2012 study on Multiple Exclusion
Homelessness in the UK shattered many beliefs about why
migrants in Britain become homeless. Unlike UK nationals,
most homeless migrants don’t have a history of exclusion
and support needs, but become homeless for the first
time as a result of a ‘trigger’ event (for example, the loss
of employment or a relationship breakdown).
“We thought that by teaming our user engagement
expertise with EEAC’s links to East European migrant
communities, we could create a really effective new
service,” said Atara Fridler, Lift’s Chief Executive.
The result is the East European Peer Navigator Project.
Development work on the initiative began in late 2013,
and the first volunteer peer navigators will be ready to
begin their placements this spring. The project trains East
European migrants to become peer navigators who can
help other East European migrants who are homeless
or at risk of homelessness. By placing peer navigators
in mainstream homelessness services, the project is
aimed at breaking through the obstacles East European
migrants face when they run into difficulties.
Five organisations in west London are teaming up
together to deliver the project. In addition to the
main partners Lift and EEAC, participants include The
Passage, Thames Reach (which runs an outreach
service), The Upper Room (a charity working with
homeless people, economic migrants and ex-offenders)
and West London Churches Homeless Concern (WLCHC)
which runs night shelters.
The project is funded by the Homelessness Transition
Fund (HTF). Samantha Rennie, Director of the HTF, said:
“The Fund was set up to support innovative approaches
to tackling rough sleeping, and this project fits the bill.
In the current climate, services need to think creatively
to meet increasing need, and there is strong evidence
that partnership working is the most effective way
of delivering critical services. Lift has proactively
developed these partnerships based on the specific
expertise each agency can bring to work with a
vulnerable and often misunderstood client group.”
The East European Peer Navigator Project is in the
process of recruiting its first ten peer navigators, some
of whom have experience of homelessness, and all
of whom have experience of arriving in London as
EAST EUROPEAN PEER NAVIGATOR PROJECTWhen the homelessness charity Lift teamed up with the East European Advice Centre (EEAC) to develop a project for East European migrants in London, it wasn’t difficult to see the need they wanted to address: Some 31% of rough sleepers in London were migrants from Eastern Europe.
BY LINDA MANNHEIM
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migrants from Eastern Europe. One of the people who
recently applied to become a peer navigator is Biljana
Kotevska-Kokir, who came to London as a student from
East Europe fifteen years ago and who now works in
human resources. Biljana had observed an increase
in East European rough sleepers near her home in
Hammersmith shortly before she came across a notice in
The Guardian recruiting peer navigators for the project.
“There aren’t enough agencies [who can] help people
when they get into trouble,” she observes. “Homeless
East Europeans don’t even know where to look.”
Barbara Drozdowicz, EEAC’s Development Manager,
is aware that many East Europeans don’t know where
to look for help. The majority of the 1,850 migrants
who approached EEAC for help in 2012 were unable
to approach mainstream services without support. A
peer-led consultation with EEAC’s service users - held
the following year - confirmed that service users needed
support to access mainstream services and would prefer
to do this through a peer navigator service.
The one year pilot will train and support 40 people
from East European migrant communities to become
peer navigators; and is aimed at benefiting more than
500 migrants from Poland, Lithuania, and other East
European countries living in London.
Atara Fridler hopes that the project will be helpful for
a large number of homelessness agencies who will be
able to draw on a resource they have never had access
to before - a central pool of peer navigators who can
support service users on an as-needed basis. Winter
shelters, main daytime hubs within the project’s area of
operation, and rough sleeping outreach teams will be
able to help at-risk and newly homeless clients by linking
them with peer navigators. Service users will get help
negotiating a potentially stressful process. And agencies
and mainstream services will not have to develop and
support individual resources.
Many of the project partners believe it has the potential to
identify and address some of the reasons East European
migrants can be at high risk of homelessness. EEAC has an
employment rights project to help East European migrants
counter exploitation by employers, while Lift’s employment
and housing services have a strong focus on helping
people in the local area secure good quality private
rented sector housing and paid employment.
The more obvious barriers to steady employment faced
by many East European migrants - difficulty with language
and understanding UK systems - are challenges that
peer navigators can help them through. They can also
help them past other obstacles that prevent people from
earning enough to maintain a tenancy. “People don’t
tend to look outside their immediate circles for work,”
observes Barbara Drozdowicz. “The more entrenched they
become in an isolated community, the harder it is to find
something. It can be difficult to break this cycle.”
In recent years there has been a strong focus on the
reconnection services available to homeless migrants.
While this may be an option for some, many migrants
have lived and worked in the UK for a relatively long time,
just barely getting by until a crisis causes them to become
homeless. Migrants included in the 2012 Multiple Exclusion
Homelessness study had been in the UK for an average
of seven years before becoming homeless, making
reconnection an inappropriate option for most.
• The A10 countries that are frequently referred to
are the ten countries in Eastern Europe that have
acceded to the EU - Poland, Lithuania, Latvia,
Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia,
Estonia, Romania and Bulgaria (formerly the A8
and A2 countries).
• There are 370,000 East European migrants living
in London (Census 2010). Polish is second most
spoken language in England and in West London
boroughs (Ealing) in particular (ONS, Census
2010, March 2013).
• East European migrants constitute 5% of London’s
population, but EE rough sleepers constitute a
disproportionate 31% of the street population
(CHAIN March-April 2013, Broadway April 2013).
• East European Advice Centre dealt with 720 calls
in 2012 from people needing help with housing,
debt or employment issues (40% of the total calls
to the centre); of these, some 600 (80%) were
from people either at risk of losing their home or
actually homeless.
• EEAC’s 2013 survey established that 90% of
the East European migrants surveyed were
economically active but most were in low-paid
jobs; a disproportionate 86% of EE migrants
(comparing with 49% London average) live in
accommodation rented from private landlords.
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THE FEEDPASSIONATE ABOUT FOOD PASSIONATE ABOUT PEOPLE
Barry Allard is the founder of LEAP - a personal development programme in Norwich for people experiencing disadvantage and inequalities in health, housing and employment. LEAP’s latest initiative is The Feed, a social enterprise project which will provide outside catering to businesses and local charities, a festival pop-up and (in the long term) a café in the local community. We spoke to Barry about how The Feed will work, why the project is so valuable from a training and employment perspective, and how other organisations in the homelessness sector can make social enterprise initiatives work…
TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT THE FEED…The Feed will provide delicious food and a quality
service, with a focus on producing a range of quality
North African, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern
cuisine (think Ottolenghi!). This will form the basis of an
outside catering facility, a festival pop-up, and - in the
future - hopefully a community café.
Crucially, The Feed will be run by ex-LEAP clients. It will
provide innovative training opportunities for people
who have been homeless, marginalised or vulnerable.
One of the main priorities of the scheme is to change
people’s perceptions of those individuals who have
been away from the job market for a long time, or who
have a history of criminal activity.
The initiative is also about creating financial
sustainability for LEAP - to help make the organisation
less reliant on external funding.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO FOCUS ON FOOD PROVISION AS A MEANS OF PROVIDING TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES?A lot of LEAP clients like the tangible results the food
industry provides. Unlike many other avenues of
employment, it’s also an industry in which there are
lots of realistic employment opportunities and roles for
people who don’t necessarily have lots of qualifications.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON NORTH AFRICAN, MEDITERRANEAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINE?Former LEAP client and ex-chef Munya will be leading
the project on the ground. Munya has African roots, so
an African or African fusion concept was the obvious
choice. Our market research also found that there is
currently a relative lack of competition for this type of
cuisine in the local community.
HOW IS THE FEED PROJECT STRUCTURED?First, we had to register the scheme as a social enterprise
and community interest company. We also had to make
sure existing LEAP partners (Norwich City Council and
St Martins Housing Trust) were happy with all proposed
aspects of the initiative.
At the beginning, The Feed’s team will consist of Munya
as lead chef and three other volunteers. I will also be on
hand to provide management guidance and support
when needed.
WHAT WILL THE FEED TRAINEES BE ABLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE EXPERIENCE?Volunteers on the project will be able to work towards a
range of specific catering qualifications - including those
related to food hygiene and preparation. In the future,
LEAP hopes to create an overall qualification unique to
The Feed - giving the initiative more of an academy feel.
More generally, trainees will gain a range of skills that
should increase their levels of employability - ranging
from customer service and cash handling experience to
communications, sales and marketing skills.
In the longer term, we also hope to set up relationships
with organisations in the local area, and help trainees
into employment that way. For example, Norwich City
College has a catering school. It would be good to be
able to eventually channel The Feed volunteers into
that, and into jobs in local restaurants.
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HOW ARE YOU SELECTING THE LEAP CLIENTS TO TAKE PART IN THE SCHEME?LEAP has a number of former clients (like The Feed’s
new lead chef Munya) who already have experience of
working with food. However, we’d like to involve as wide a
variety of people as possible: If a client shows an interest in
becoming part of The Feed, we’ll give them an interview!
At this early stage, however, we also need to be realistic.
For example, we’ve taken the decision to focus on clients
who will feel comfortable working within the strict health
and safety food guidelines that apply. There will also be
a risk assessment system in place to assess other potential
issues - for example, the risk of taking on a client who
has a history of theft. However, we will look at each case
individually. In the future, we hope that the scheme can
be expanded to safely include more vulnerable clients.
DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY PARTICULAR CHALLENGES IN OVERSEEING THE PROJECT?There are always challenges around managing
volunteers. For example, volunteers’ level of involvement
may be limited by other commitments; and in due
course, people may want to leave to take paid work.
I’ve learnt a lot about managing volunteers through
running other LEAP initiatives. That means I’ve been
able to plan ahead, and set up a volunteer training and
engagement structure designed to prevent or minimise
difficulties in the future. There will, for example, be a
process that includes an initial application, an interview,
thorough training and continuous support. I hope each
of these steps will help ensure that potential volunteers
are fully aware of the roles, responsibilities and levels of
commitment that are involved.
WILL THE FEED TRY TO COMPETE ON A GENUINELY COMMERCIAL BASIS WITH OTHER BUSINESSES? I think it’s really important that The Feed becomes a
genuinely competitive, high-quality outside catering
service. I’m involved with the Lloyds Bank Social
Entrepreneurs Programme (run by the Eastern Enterprise
Hub) and have learnt a lot through that. We’ve analysed
the competition, (festival caterers, African food caterers
and local community cafes) and we believe The Feed
will perform strongly in comparison. The fact that
customers will be doing good by using the service will
just be a bonus, not the main reason for choosing The
Feed over the competition.
I hope The Feed will be able to make a small profit within
its first year. I think this will be possible, because the
project has low overheads. For example, there will be no
paid staff attached solely to the project.
IS THIS THE SORT OF INITIATIVE OTHER HOMELESSNESS ORGANISATIONS COULD SET UP? Yes, definitely. As long as the local competition and food
industry environments are taken into account, there’s
no reason why similar schemes can’t be set up by other
homelessness organisations.
In fact, I think homelessness organisations all over
England should be considering starting social enterprise
projects like The Feed, as a way to both raise revenue
and to provide training opportunities.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE THE FEED TO DEVELOP IN THE FUTURE?I’m really inspired by organisations like the Beyond Food
Foundation, and the Skylight cafés set up by Crisis. In
due course, I would love to see The Feed develop into
an academy in its own right, providing high-quality
outdoor catering to businesses and big festivals, and
providing multiple, paid employment opportunities for
people who have experienced homelessness.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LEAP AND THE FEEDLEAP empowers people who face homelessness to live a fulfilling life of their choice.
www.norwichleap.co.uk
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There are a growing number of work placement
schemes that partner private companies with
homelessness organisations, and, as I was to discover,
they benefit all parties.
Business in the Community, a socially-focused, business-
led charity with an extensive network of private
companies, launched their Ready for Work programme
in 2001. The scheme aimed to provide participants with
work placements, mentoring and a route into full time
employment. Fast forward thirteen years, and over 3,000
people have been employed following placements
in companies such as Barclays, Freshfields, Marks &
Spencer and Carillion. Over half of the 3,000 candidates
were rough sleepers or still classed as homeless at the
time of their placement.
I spoke to Dianne Crookes, Group Resourcing Supplier
Manager with the Royal Mail Group. Here’s what she
told me:
"We’ve been participating in the Ready for Work
programme since 2005. We have provided 451 work
placements, 217 of which have resulted in jobs.
Additionally, we have employed 89 Ready for Work
candidates that did placements with other companies.
We’ve just appointed our 306th candidate!
“The Ready for Work programme is a good source of
employees, they’re local people who just need to be given
a chance and as a business, we fundamentally feel that’s
the right thing to do. Our biggest challenge initially was
ensuring consistency of process and prioritising where to
start with the roll out, as there was so much enthusiasm.
“We employ over 127,000 people on the front-line,
and we have some really great employees who love
being involved with the Ready for Work placements.
It’s a good development opportunity for them to learn
buddying and mentoring. We’ve found that employee
engagement has increased right across the business.
Some 74% of staff participating in buddying/mentoring
report increased job satisfaction; and 80% say that
the process has improved their relationship building
skills. Some 94% say they feel more understanding and
empathy towards others.
“For any business considering offering Ready for Work
placements I’d say this: Our contact at Business in the
Community is very professional and supportive, and they
provide good resources when you need information
for stakeholders. Just make sure you take the time to
engage people at all levels across your company. It’s
the employees on the front line who will make it work.
The benefits to your company far outweigh any time
and resources required to set the placements up.”
As well as national schemes like Ready for Work,
there are smaller partnerships between homelessness
organisations and businesses. Providence Row has
developed its collaboration with the Andaz hotel on
Liverpool Street over several years. Initially the hotel
donated surplus stock, such as towels, but in 2011 the
two organisations came together to create a series of
workshops on catering, healthy eating and hospitality
for Providence Row clients. They designed a seven week
Catering Trainee scheme in the charity’s day centre
kitchen, followed by a placement in the busy hotel
kitchen. Last year, three people gained employment
after completing the programme, and the scheme
won a Lord Mayor’s Dragon Award which celebrates
excellence in corporate community involvement
A TWO WAY STREETFor service users who are ready, a work placement can be life-transforming. Placements provide valuable work experience, a boost to the CV (and self-esteem) and, sometimes, a direct route into employment. There are many excellent ‘in-house’ work placement schemes; but not every service user wants to work within our sector. It’s important that the back-to-work opportunities available are as diverse as service users’ aspirations.
BY LINDSAY STRONGE
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programmes. One person who used to sleep outside the
hotel is now employed there.
It’s not only employees who have a more positive view
of companies that take their responsibility to local
communities seriously. Consumers are increasingly
interested in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In
Nielsen’s 2013 global survey ‘Consumers who Care’, 50%
of respondents stated that they would be prepared
to pay more for goods and services from companies
that give back to society; this is a 5% increase from
2011. Businesses have a considerable amount to gain,
economically and socially, from prioritising the CSR
agenda and a work placement programme is a solid
foundation.
Taking social responsibility a step further are social
businesses created purely to make profit for charities
and employ ex-homeless people. Connection Crew
is a unique social business in crewing and logistics.
Customers hire a crew to set up stages, build sets and
deal with lighting and sound equipment. Around 25%
of Connection Crew’s workforce are work ready ex-
homeless people who have completed an employment
support programme and an initial work placement.
Any profit made by the company is donated to The
Connection at St-Martins-in-the-Fields.
In 2011, Josh Littlejohn and his partner Alice Thompson
set up Social Bite, a café in Edinburgh. The café uses
locally-sourced ingredients and ploughs all profits back
into charities set up to solve social problems at home
and abroad. A quarter of the workforce of Social Bite
are ex-homeless, some of whom had rough slept outside
the café and were local Big Issue sellers who the café’s
staff and customers were familiar with. The Social Bite
team help them find accommodation, provide an
income and train them up on site.
Josh has a vision about the future of business. As he
told The Herald newspaper in a recent interview, “we
can't leave it up to governments or charities to solve
our problems” he says, “we need another economic
model.” With two cafés now open in Edinburgh and
one set to open in Glasgow at the beginning of March,
business is booming. Josh says their success is due to the
fact that “we’re doing the right thing.”
With so many inspiring and successful work placement
programmes operating in businesses across the UK, the
future looks bright for service users who are eager to
get back to work. Let’s hope more businesses follow the
lead of those featured here, and offer work placements.
As Dianne Crookes from Royal Mail Group says, “stop
considering it and just do it!”
“THE MOST SATISFYING PART OF MY ROLE IS SEEING A VERY NERVOUS INDIVIDUAL WALKING INTO OUR LARGE ORGANISATION ON THEIR FIRST DAY AND THEN GROWING WITH CONFIDENCE AND EAGERNESS TO LEARN AS THE PLACEMENT PROGRESSES. THE ULTIMATE ACHIEVEMENT IS WHEN WE CAN OFFER SOMEONE A ROLE AND SECURE A BETTER FUTURE FOR THEM WITH ROYAL MAIL.”Jayne Parry, Recruitment Advisor, Royal Mail and site co-ordinator for Ready for Work
Photograph © Michael Walter/Troika, courtesy of Royal Mail Group
CONNECT | MARCH 2014
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Find out more about our Pay it Forward campaign - what’s happening, who we’re working with and how we’ve been able to support them.
WHAT IS PAY IT FORWARD?Pay it Forward is a Homeless Link campaign focused on
protecting and raising awareness of the services that
support people when they lose everything.
Research indicates that almost a third of us has either
been homeless ourselves, or knows someone who has. It
is crucial that individuals experiencing homelessness get
the help they need to overcome their difficulties.
Since 2010, demand for help from local authorities
by people facing homelessness has risen by nearly a
third. However, during the same period, investment in
local services that prevent homelessness and help get
individuals back on their feet has actually fallen in many
areas.
Our Pay it Forward campaign aims to raise awareness
of the fantastic work the sector does in tackling
homelessness, demonstrate the value of investing in
housing-related support, and urge councillors to commit
to protecting funding for homelessness services.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?We launched the Pay it Forward campaign in October
2013. Since then, we have been supporting our members
across England to launch their own regional campaigns,
in reaction to proposals from councils to make significant
cuts to housing-related support budgets.
We have been working particularly closely with members
in Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Worcestershire;
areas facing some of the most dramatic cuts. We have
supported them in launching public campaigns, to help
raise the profile of this incredibly important issue.
OXFORDSHIREOver 350 people in Oxfordshire are currently getting the
support they need from charities to leave homelessness
behind. A further 550 people are getting direct support
to prevent them becoming homeless in the first place.
The 2012 rough sleeper count recorded 19 people
sleeping on the county’s streets.
On 6th December 2013, Oxfordshire County Council
opened a public consultation around proposals for its
2014-2015 budget. The saving measures proposed include
a 38% cut to the £4 million budget for Housing Related
Support - hostels, supported housing and floating support.
This equates to a funding cut of around £1.5 million. The
public consultation closed on 3rd January 2014, and the
budget announcement is expected soon.
Around £1 million of the budget is currently spent by
Oxford Homeless Pathways on its O’Hanlon House
and Julian House hostels - and on managing Oxford
Homeless Funeral Fund. There are just three hostels in
Oxford; and this funding cut could lead to the closure of
at least one, potentially turning 60 homeless people out
on to the street.
In response to the proposed cuts, Oxford Homeless
Pathways launched a Change.org petition, urging
Oxfordshire County Council to reconsider the 38% cut. The
charity also sent an open letter to the leader of the council
opposing the proposed cuts, with signatories including our
Chief Executive, Rick Henderson, and the Vice Chancellor
of Oxford University, Professor Andrew Hamilton.
NOTTINGHAMSHIREGovernment statistics show that between 1st July and
30th September 2013, there were 243 applications
to Nottinghamshire City Council for help with
homelessness.
There are currently thousands of people using
homelessness services in the county. Framework, one of
the largest providers of assistance to homeless people in
Nottinghamshire, helps around 6,200 individuals each year.
The County Council’s budget for housing-related
support has been cut repeatedly since 2004 - when it
CONNECT | MARCH 2014
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was £27.3 million per annum. The most recent reduction,
implemented in the past three years, brought the figure
down to just £12.1 million per annum.
Current proposals, which are subject to consultation,
would involve a further reduction to £7.9 million, most
of the latter being ring-fenced to meet statutory
requirements. The public consultation closed on 17
January. An announcement is expected soon.
If implemented, these plans would result in the closure
of all emergency and supported housing for homeless
people in the county. They would also withdraw funding
from community-based support for vulnerable people
living in their own tenancies, and for crisis prevention
work to avoid homelessness.
Framework has already had its funding cut from £7
million per annum to just under £4.5 million. The council’s
proposed cuts would see a further £3.5 million reduction
- 85% in total. The charity says it simply will not survive if
these plans go through.
In response to the latest funding threat, Framework
launched the Think Again campaign to try to convince
Nottinghamshire County Council to change its mind.
Campaign resources include a link to the public
consultation section of the council’s website, an
online petition, a downloadable letter to the leader
of the council, a Twitter campaign, and a poster and
factsheet.
Rick Henderson also wrote a letter to the leader of the
council, Alan Rhodes. In it he opposed the cuts, made
the case for continued investment and requested a
meeting to discuss things further.
WORCESTERSHIREGovernment statistics show that between 1st July and
30th September 2013, there were 222 applications to
Worcestershire County Council for help with homelessness.
As part of Worcestershire County Council’s plan to make
£98 million of savings by 2017, it is proposing to cut its
Housing Related Support Budget by 60%. This would
have a catastrophic effect upon homelessness support
services to vulnerable adults in the area, at a time when
(per 100 households) rough sleeping has increased by
33% in the last year. The public consultation closed on 21
January. An announcement is expected soon.
If the proposed spending reduction goes ahead,
organisations hit hardest will include St Paul’s Hostel,
Citizen’s Advice Bureau and Worcester Community
Housing. The latter, which manages more than 4,000
properties for people on low incomes, is set to lose every
penny of its £630,000 yearly grant from the fund.
Youth homelessness charity St Basils has had 1,438
referrals for help since September 2009 - and has
supported more than 300 young people into supported
accommodation, supported Lodgings and Private
Rented Schemes. However, St Basils’ vital services are
now under threat, as in October 2013 Worcestershire
County Council proposed that the Adult Social Care
budget (including Supporting People funding for
vulnerable young people in the county) be halved.
In response to the proposed cuts, St Basils ran a media
campaign and gained local press coverage. It also
wrote about the threat to funding on its website and
in its newsletter, directing people to the Worcestershire
County Council consultation and our Pay it Forward
campaign resources.
Rick Henderson wrote a letter to the leader of the
council (Adrian Hardman) opposing the cuts, making
the case for continued investment and requesting a
meeting to discuss the situation further.
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A GUIDE TOLOCAL INFLUENCINGWhen it comes to campaigning on homelessness, local influencing activity can make all the difference. We have the resources that could help.
Influencing your local councillor, media or partner
organisations may seem daunting, but there is no
one in a better place to do this than you. You’re the
expert on your community, and you’re the person or
organisation that will be directly affected by local
decisions. Because of this, it’s you that local decision
makers want to talk to most.
That’s why we’ve worked with our members to create
a series of guides to help you. They take you through
the key steps to influencing local decision makers, and
provide tips and tools to help you along the way.
Here are five quick tips to get you started!
1. HAVE A PLANTackling the issue in its entirety can be complex, so it's
wise to start off small: Clarify what the specific issues
are in your local area and what it is that you want to
change.
Having a specific ask will help focus your influencing
work.
2. WORK IN PARTNERSHIPTo make change happen you will need to decide whose
support is critical and how you will approach them.
Involving local groups or organisations that have similar
interests as you - and who want to influence your key
audiences - can be mutually beneficial, saving you both
valuable time and resources.
3. RUN A CAMPAIGNCampaigning is an effective way of bringing about
change by raising awareness of an issue and giving
people a voice to take action against it.
Campaigns unite people who are passionate about a
specific cause, so running one could be the best way
for you to involve local people, councillors, services and
service users in your influencing work.
4. WORK WITH YOUR COUNCILEngaging elected councillors and council staff in your
work is key to ensuring they make the right decisions
about how local services are commissioned and run.
Getting a councillor or the Mayor to commit to a
campaign pledge or sign up to a petition, for example,
could be the first step to build a relationships and, if
possible, work in partnership with them.
5. INVOLVE THE MEDIALocal papers need local stories, and communities
want to feel connected with local issues. Telling your
stories through media and social media will help raise
awareness of your cause, and could help you gain
support.
And remember, stories that focus on the local and
human elements will be the strongest and most likely to
be covered by journalists or bloggers.
PAY IT FORWARD - TAKE ACTIONAs part of our Pay it Forward campaign, we have also
put together a tool that should make it easier for you
to find out about homelessness numbers in your area.
We’ve also put together a letter template for you to use
when you write to your local councillors.
PAY IT FORWARD: RESOURCES TO TAKE ACTIONYou can find and use the interactive tool and letter template at:
www.endhomelessness.org.uk/take-action
CONNECT | MARCH 2014 FEATURES
MAKINGSOCIAL IMPACTMEASUREMENTWORKThe rise of ‘payment by results’ and social investment in the third sector could push core beneficiaries to the margins of the impact measurement process. However, homelessness organisations have a solution. Through careful application of good practice in impact measurement - as exemplified by the charity Porchlight - the sector can ensure that new funding mechanisms genuinely and sustainably meet the needs of homeless people.
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 27
Porchlight is a homelessness charity that works throughout Kent
and Croydon. Porchlight commissioned CAN Invest, the
social investment and social impact consultancy
of the charity CAN, to evaluate one of its
Canterbury-based young persons’
services using the Social Return
on Investment (SROI)
methodology.
At CAN Invest
we spent more
than a year working
with Porchlight to undertake
research - conducting extensive
interviews and surveys with the
service’s major stakeholders. These involved
commissioners, public and third sector partner
organisations, staff, and most importantly the young
people who receive accommodation and other support
from Porchlight. CAN Invest calculated that for every £1 invested
in Porchlight’s young persons’ service, the charity is forecast to
deliver between £4.30 and £7.60 in social value to a variety of
stakeholders.
BY ROHAN MARTYRES
Ph
oto
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ph
© Ia
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uth
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FEATURES CONNECT | MARCH 2014
28 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
So, who is involved in calculating such figures? And will
this change with the rise of ‘payment by results’ and
social investment?
THE TRADITIONAL AUDIENCE OF SOCIAL IMPACT REPORTINGSocial impact reporting by homelessness organisations
and others in the third sector has traditionally been aimed
more at funders than end users. This is probably because
funders do not directly experience users’ outcomes;
and therefore need additional information. However,
the rise of outcomes-based commissioning and social
investment has the potential to push beneficiaries to the
margins of the impact measurement process; not in terms
of audience, but - more fundamentally - in terms of the
outcomes being measured.
This may seem counter-intuitive: Outcomes-based
commissioning and social investment are generally seen
as means by which financial incentives are aligned
with the greater social outcomes delivered by charities
for their core beneficiaries. To take the UK’s first Social
Impact Bond as an example, social investors will be paid
by justice commissioners if the charity St Giles Trust and
its partners manage to reduce re-offending rates in men
serving short-term sentences at HMP Peterborough.
RISKS OF HEADLINE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS THAT FOCUS PRIMARILY ON COMMISSIONERS’ AND INVESTORS’ INTERESTSThere is a danger that social impact measurement will
over-focus on funders’ interests. Practically speaking, an
organisation may invest the majority of effort in measuring
against indicators demanded by commissioners, and
spend too little time understanding the perspectives,
insights and desires of beneficiaries themselves.
Two unfortunate consequences may arise as a result.
First, beneficiaries’ voices would be marginalised from
decisions about what is important. Second, the cart is put
before the horse: The majority of the effort should instead
be directed towards understanding and measuring the
complex links between perceptions and interim outcomes
for beneficiaries as they receive support (or not) from their
families, support organisations and wider society. After
all, it is these factors that ultimately drive the longer-term
outcomes of interest to homelessness commissioners.
HOW PORCHLIGHT ADDRESSED THESE RISKSFollowing CAN Invest’s principles-based approach to
impact measurement, our SROI work with Porchlight
involved engagement with core beneficiaries at all
major stages of the impact measurement and reporting
process. First, we considered their needs in designing the
impact framework. Second, we directly engaged with
them using robust qualitative and quantitative methods,
to identify and value the outcomes they experienced.
These included a range of indicators to measure
outcomes for both funders and core beneficiaries.
Third, we reported the findings to beneficiaries for their
feedback and further insight. And finally, we formulated
recommendations to ensure beneficiaries’ insights
and concerns influence Porchlight’s decision-making.
Recommendations ranged from what outcomes to
measure and how that should be done, to suggestions
on how better to stay in touch with beneficiaries after
they have stopped using Porchlight’s services.
Every organisation is different, and the impact framework
that works for Porchlight may not work for others. For
example, SROI - while appropriate for Porchlight - is only
one of the methodologies that CAN Invest deploys to
measure impact. And these methodologies in turn should
not be confused with the wider issue of the objectives
for measuring impact. Accordingly, the most important
question an organisation needs to ask is, ‘What exactly
are we trying to achieve by understanding our impact?’
How this question is answered will form the basis for
everything else. But as a constant, I would recommend
that every homelessness organisation carefully considers
which outcomes their social impact measurement
systems focus on, and whose values and interests their
measurement systems serve.
THE PRIZE OF GETTING IT RIGHT - MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE MOST MARGINALISEDThere are no easy answers here. On the one hand, front-
line organisations must meet demands to focus on the
sort of outcomes that commissioners and funders value,
and use cost-efficient impact reporting systems suited to
lean times. On the other, they need to uphold the notion
that homeless people and the outcomes they value
remain at the heart of social impact measurement.
But the prize is clear. By navigating these waters, the
sector can help ‘payment by results’ funding and social
investment meet their potential, and sustainably reduce
social disadvantage. In this way, we can collectively
ensure that emerging funding mechanisms strengthen
the sector’s moral purpose as a champion for those who
are marginalised from society and who do not currently
have the means to support themselves.
CAN InvestFurther information on CAN Invest’s approach to impact measurement can be found at: www.can-online.org.uk/can-impact
Porchlight SROI Further information on the Porchlight SROI is available at: www.porchlight.org.uk
FEATURES CONNECT | MARCH 2014
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 29
Welfare reform aims to simplify the benefits systems -
but things are likely to get worse before they get better.
People experiencing homelessness are more likely to
receive sanctions to their benefits, the consequences
of which are severe with sanctions affecting housing,
wellbeing and the services that work with them.
Sanctions often undo the hard work of homelessness
services, and staff are spending increasing amounts of
time managing clients’ benefits claims with less time to
spend on other aspects of support.
Where homelessness services work together with Job
Centre Plus (JCP), sanctions can be prevented as there
is an increased understanding of the barriers faced by
people experiencing homelessness. Some services do
work well with JCP - but joint working is often dependent
on personal relationships with individual JCP advisors.
In partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions
(DWP), Homeless Link piloted a Working Together
event which brought together JCP and homelessness
service staff with the aim of facilitating networking and
increasing joint working between organisations. The event
took place on the December 6th 2013 at Kennington Job
Centre in South London, and was attended by 35 JCP
staff and 35 Homelessness sector staff.
The event included speakers - from both the DWP and the
homelessness sector - who broached difficult subjects such
as sanctions and the work programme and ensured that
everyone in the room understood both side’s priorities and
perspectives. As one attendee put it, “It was good to get
the elephant out of the room”. Real common ground was
found by everybody when David Ford, former Chair of
Homeless Link’s expert panel, talked about his experience
of claiming JSA while homeless and his journey into
employment.
The event also included table discussions on joint
working, and plenty of opportunities for networking. By
meeting one another in person, JCP and homelessness
sector staff were able to understand each other’s
priorities, make personal contacts and build trust in
joint working. By working together in group discussion
sessions, attendees came up with potential solutions
and actions to take forward. They also discussed ways
to develop joint working practices in their organisations
that worked for everyone. Mutually beneficial
partnership arrangements were also identified by
everyone as good practice, with co-location, single
points of contact and reciprocal training between
organisations being cited as mutually beneficial.
An attendee emphasised: “I will raise the consequences
of sanctions and the issues faced by homeless claimants
among JCP front line advisers. I will encourage
them to forge relationships with local homelessness
organisations. I will also encourage JCP advisers to
take into account issues faced by NFA claimants when
signing commitments.” The event concluded with
commitments from both the DWP and homelessness
services to develop better joint working between the
homelessness sector and JCP across London and the
Home Counties.
Homeless Link will be running more Working Together
events across England, to help homelessness services
recognise the opportunities as well as the consequences
of welfare reform by working collaboratively and
preventatively with JCP. Changes such as the claimant
commitment offer more personalised support to claimants,
and JCP staff are able and willing to work together and
recognise the support of homelessness services. Now is
the time to develop these relationships, and to help JCP
understand the barriers experienced by homeless people.
WORKING TOGETHERDWP NETWORKING EVENTWith so many changes brought about by welfare reform, it is becoming increasingly challenging for homelessness organisations and the clients they serve to navigate through benefits systems.
“THE EVENT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND OPENED MY EYES MORE TO THE MAJOR PROBLEM LONDON IS FACING WITH HOMELESSNESS.”
WORKING TOGETHER EVENTS IN YOUR AREAWe’re running more DWP networking events across the country until June
homeles.org.uk/events/national-regional
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30 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
MANAGINGPEOPLE Dear Helen,
I work for a bank and I’ve been doing some volunteering with a homelessness charity, which I’ve loved and I’m thinking of applying for a paid trainee role. My family are worried that I will be narrowing my career options by doing this, since it’s quite a specific field. Do you think their concerns are justified?
I think in the first place you need to be very clear that you feel passionate about wanting to work with homeless and other disadvantaged people before leaving the security of a career in financial services. If this is so, I believe that working in homelessness services gives a
great opportunity to learn loads of skills that will stand you in good stead to make moves within the broader support and care/social housing sectors - and well beyond.
Because the needs of homeless people are so varied
and complex, front-line workers receive training in
an amazing variety of specialised areas. As well as
developing generic competences including excellent
communication and influencing skills, you will learn how
to work with people with different kinds of addictions
and a range of mental health problems, such as
schizophrenia and personality disorders. You will also
learn how to work sensitively with specific groups of
people, such as sex workers, refugees, asylum seekers
and victims of domestic violence. These skills will provide
you with a passport to work in all kinds of other related
sectors - and sadly there is no shortage of work for those
wanting to support vulnerable people.
If you want to progress to a management role, there
are many opportunities for promotion within the sector.
Homelessness organisations are very complex social
businesses that work in an increasingly commercial
environment. If you work for an organisation that
provides good leadership and management training
- which many do - you will learn the whole range of
management skills, which are transferable to any kind
of organisation. This will encompass ‘hard’ skills such
as commercial acumen, project management and
service design and development. You will also learn
effective people management techniques and the
‘softer’ leadership, interpersonal and partnership skills
associated with the ability to achieve results with and
through others.
Also, there’s a great
deal of mobility if you want to move between
disciplines in the sector. For example, we’ve had staff who
have moved from generic front-line services into specialist
areas of service delivery or into policy, communications,
fundraising or business support functions. There is a
real dynamism and fluidity to the sector, with talented
people who want to run with new things being actively
encouraged and supported to do so.
You definitely shouldn’t make the move if you want
to earn a lot of money, but in all other ways it’s an
extremely rewarding career. There is hard evidence that
people working in voluntary sector organisations feel
more engaged and motivated at work than in other
sectors; and from our own benchmarked staff surveys,
we know that employee engagement in homelessness
services is particularly high. I hope your family will be
reassured!
Helen Giles is HR Director of Broadway and Managing Director of Broadway’s Real People HR consultancy
www.broadwaysrealpeople.com
HOMELESS LINK TRAINING
Here are just some of the courses we can run in-house:
ENGAGE AND EMPOWERLearn to help clients improve self-awareness, build motivation
and self-esteem, break free from unhelpful behavioural
patterns, and take responsibility for their actions and choices.
HOW TO USE THE OUTCOMES STARFind out how to use the star to improve support planning and
prove the impact of your service.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: SUPPORTING EX-OFFENDERSFind out how to work with ex-offenders to reduce re-offending
and move them towards more positive goals.
IN-HOUSE TRAINING Our in-house training courses are held at a time and place convenient to you. You can pick from over 30 topics and train up to 16 members of staff at a time.
Always grounded in the latest research, with opportunities to practice new ways of working and build a team approach around particular work areas, our courses will help you and your colleagues to excel.
DEVELOPING THE EXPERTISE OF THE SECTOR
TRAIN YOUR TEAM
HOMELESS.ORG.UK/TRAINING | @HOMELESSLINK | 020 7840 4450
“I love Homeless Link
training - I never fail
to take something
away with me.”
Tracy, Chelmsford Chess
COMMENT CONNECT | MARCH 2014
32 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
We’ve pulled together a list of resources and research related to the features in this edition of CONNECT. If you have any information you would like to share with our member organisations, please write to [email protected].
RESOURCES
HOMELESS LINK INFORMATION Find us online
homeless.org.uk/blogtwitter.com/homelesslinkfacebook.com/homelesslink
Welfare AwareOur key resources on the latest and upcoming
changes to the welfare system
homeless.org.uk/welfare-aware
Effective ActionGood practice guidance for local authorities
and services
homeless.org.uk/effective-action
Our policy workLatest research on youth homelessness and more.
http://homeless.org.uk/research
In the regionsMeet your Homeless Link regional managers.
homeless.org.uk/contact-regional-manager
Local influencing toolkitTools to help you promote your work in your local
community.
homeless.org.uk/local-influencing
And your NAC representatives.
homeless.org.uk/contact-nac
MORE LINKS
Streetlink
www.streetlink.org.uk
Homeless Pages
www.homelesspages.org.uk
Homeless UK
homelessuk.org
CONTRIBUTORS
Learning Maths Online - learningmathsonline.ac.uk
Transforming Choice - transformingchoice.org.uk
NIACE - niace.org
Homeless FA - homelessfa.org
Lift - liftpeople.org.uk
LEAP - norwichleap.co.uk
Business in the Community - bitc.org.uk
CAN Invest - can-online.org.uk
Porchlight - porchlight.org.uk
This edition was edited by
Serena Cowdy - www.serenacowdy.com
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK